


Demons Within

by KROWRIM



Series: Demons Within [1]
Category: Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Self-Discovery, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Hatred, Shadow Ren, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:07:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 20,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23573614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KROWRIM/pseuds/KROWRIM
Summary: SPOILERSSPOILERSSPOILERSAfter a trip into Maruki's palace results in the Phantom Thieves fighting against a cognitive version of their leader Ren finds his friends looking to him for answers he isn't ready to face. So he runs.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Yoshizawa Kasumi, Kujikawa Rise/Narukami Yu, Persona 5 Protagonist/Yoshizawa Kasumi
Series: Demons Within [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1738462
Comments: 65
Kudos: 182





	1. The Truth

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry for the feels you may experience during this trip.

To say Ren was shock would be an understatement. Standing before him was none other than himself. Or at least Maruki's version of him. It didn't make much of a difference seeing as they looked identical save for the outfits. Fake Ren wore the Shujin uniform while the real Ren wore his Joker attire. The entire team seemed to be looking at either the fake Ren or the real one in awe. Ren didn't know what to think. He just hoped this wasn't another enemy.

"Ok is anyone else freaked out right now?" Ryuji asked.

"No this is definitely bizzare. We just have to remember that this is just a Cognition. Stay focused." Morgana ordered.

Ren wondered why there was a version of him in this palace but suddenly realized something. If there was a version of Kasumi in here like Sumire had said, he must have a version of him as well. He did spend a lot of time with Maruki after all. But that also meant, he truly hoped that didn't mean what he thought.

"Hey. What are you guys doing here?" The cognition asked.

Everyone seemed surprised that the fake Ren saw them as friends rather than enemies. No one lowered their guard however. Fake Ren turned to fully face them and sat down on the steps he was standing on. He seemed very relaxed despite the heavily armed thieves in front of him.

"You guys seem tensed." He observed.

Real Ren took a step forward and placed his knife away in his belt. Everyone followed suit. Ren stood in front of his counterpart who had an eerily similar smirk

"Oh. You must be the real Ren. Nice to meet you. No need for introductions of any kind. I already know who you all are."

His eyes fell on the leader.

"Especially you. I know just about everything."

Worse case scenario. No matter what, Ren knew that he had to shut this cognition up before he said anything. His sessions with Maruki had turned over some stones he didn't exactly feel comfortable with anyone else knowing. A lot of things no one should know.

"So, you're looking to steal the treasure right? I'm not supposed to let you guys do that but I don't feel like fighting. I'm so tired of it. Constantly fighting. Never stopping. It's so, tiring." Fake Ren said shaking his head.

"Tired of fighting?" Queen repeated.

"You know. Fighting against the system that'll do anything to see me behind bars. Fighting these battles that just never seem to end. With every fight more weight is thrown on my shoulders." Fake Ren admitted.

Everyone looked to their leader who accepted that the worse case scenario was currently unfolding in front of him.

"I mean, can you blame me? I listen to everyone's problems and that just adds to the pile. I like to help others but sometimes it becomes too much. I ever tell you guys what was going through my mind when I was arrested?"

"Shut up." Ren demanded.

"I was scared. I was alone. My own damn parents didn't even help. They sent me away for God's sake! Then I moved to Tokyo and get thrown into some dirty attic. Everyone saw me as a criminal. Everyone. I was alone that night and I'm alone now."

"Shut up!" Ren said more firmly.

His team looked at him with worry.

"Then I discovered the palaces. I started the Phantom Thieves alongside two people in the same situation. Well, different circumstances but it's all the same. Even though I started to gather up all these friends, I still felt like I was alone. Abandoned. Thrown away. Then I met Akechi."

"SHUT UP!"

"He was just like me. The mask we showed the world was different but on the inside we were the exact same. I could feel it. For the first time I didn't feel so alone. The same could be said about Kasumi. Both of them were different from the others."

Fake Ren stood back up and looked at Violet and Crow.

"Kasumi I fell in love with and Akechi I longed for a friendship with. Even if he was my rival. The day he died I died a bit on the inside as well. The only one who could possibly relate to me, was gone. The only one who truly understood."

Fake Ren looked down to his feet while Real Ren clenched his fists.

"There were so many nights following the day I was labeled as a criminal where I would stay awake. Where I would consider an easier way out."

Everyone was shocked by this. Real Ren just stood there.

"I wanted it to end. So many chances to slip up and die. I never did. I was too scared to. So many chances to end my life but I never did even though I had every reason to. Trapped in my own head every night was exhausting. The pain of having to be the one that everyone looked up to. Their fucking hero. I can'teven save myself."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Real Ren pulled out his pistol and shot the cognition point blank in the head causing him to disappear. Ren had to calm his breathing as everyone watched him try to regain his posture. He slowly lowered the gun while he grew sick to his stomach.

"Everyone to the closet safe room. We should go back for the day." Morgana suggested.

Everyone agreed immediately before turning back to their leader who walked passed them all.  
\--------  
The trip to LeBlanc was a quiet one. Normallythe walk back would be full of laughter and jokes or talks on how to improve their techniques. Ren would be doing everything in his power to make Sumire blush much to Morgana's annoyance. But this time there was a dark cloud over the group.

Ren didn't say anything the entire walk back which worried everyone. He kept his distance by walking ahead in a quick pace while thoughts ran through his head. He didn't know what to do. His friends heard everything and that was a problem. A big problem. Once the reached the Cafe, the group flooded in. Sojiro watched them all file upstairs. He noticed the look on Ren's face and stopped Makoto who was the last one in.

"What's up with the kid?" He asked.

Makoto looked back at the group.

"We heard something we shouldn't have." She answered before heading up.

Ren set his bag on the table to let Morgana out and took his seat at the table while the others hung around. Ren leaned back and put his arms behind his head.

"Ok so the infiltration was a bit rocky today. We made some progress but we still got a ways to go. About half way if I had to guess." Ren stated as he looked at the roof. "Did you sense the treasure Morgana?"

The cat didn't answer. Ren looked over.

"Morgana?"

"How are you so calm?" Ryuji asked.

Ren sat up and looked at everyone in the room. All eyes were on him now. Ren just rubbed the back of his neck.

"No one got hurt right? We had nothing but flawless victories today. I say if anything we should be happy." He smirked.

No one was sharing the enthusiasm. Ren rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Ok so there was one minor misstep. My bad. I'm sorry." He apologized as he stood up with his hands up.

He walked over to his bed and recovered the bottle of water had left there the night before. Everyone was in slight shock at the behavior of their leader. He was playing the entire thing off as if it was nothing. He stopped mid drink and noticed the looks they were giving him.

"Guys..."

"You're really going to pretend that was nothing?" Ann asked.

Ren's eyes fell on Sumire who looked like she was ready to cry. He felt bad but he knew better than anyone that piling on problems wasn't going to do good. Ryuji walked forward but stopped. He didn't know what he was going to do. His best friend was obviously suffering but he kept it to himself. He always did.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Yusuke suggested.

"Nothing to talk about. I'm fine. Just lost my coop for a bit." Ren said trying his best to calm everyone down.

"That wasn't nothing Ren. What he said was all true. Wasn't it?" Makoto asked.

"Yes! Ok?! It was all true but I'm fine guys. Really."

Ren was losing it again but refused to let them see. Sumire walked over to him and placed a hand on his arm.

"Senpai you can talk to us." She assured.

Ren nodded but Akechi didn't buy any of it.

"He refuses to. He doesn't trust us." He realized.

Everyone looked at the ace detective with looks of anger or sadness. Ren shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. Ryuji looked back to his friend.

"Is he telling the truth? Do you really not trust us?" Ryuji asked.

Ren didn't answer. That was all they needed. Ren looked at the ground.

"It's not anything personal..."

"How can you not trust us? After everything?" Ann asked.

"I'm sorry but trusting people isn't my strong suit." Ren tried to explain.

Sumire stepped back. Hurt was in her eyes. Ren immediately felt guilt but refused to back down.

"Guys I'm sorry. It's hard for me to trust people. Can you blame me though? After everything that's happened?"

"I get that but we're your friends asshole! We fight together! What the eff if wrong with you dude?!" Ryuji yelled.

He continued to step forward before Ren blew up. Everything that had been piled up within over the last year was finally at a boiling point and for his best friend to be the one to attack him, it was finally enough. It enough for Ren to throw the bottle across the room barley missing Akcehi's head before it exploded on the wall behind him.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ME?! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ME?! MAYBE I'M JUST SICK AND TIRED OF EVERYONE SEEING ME AS A FUCK UP!"

Everyone stepped back at the sudden outburst. Ryuji was caught off guard but instead instead shook the fear out of him and stepped forward once again.

"News flash asshole, not everyone sees you as some mess up! That's why we're here!"

"You think I don't know that? You think I don't fucking hate myself for the fact that I can't trust the only people who ever gave a shit about me?! You guys are all that I have but I can't help but see all of you as enemies. I hate it. I fucking hate it." Ren said as he allowed himself to slid down the wall to the ground.

He buried his head in his knees and tried to calm down before he did anything he would regret. Ryuji didn't care. He just shook his head in anger.

"You never told us anything. You kept it to yourself and now you expect us to let you off the hook?"

"Ryuji!" Ann called out.

"No! He doesn't get to be innocent. You heard him! He doesn't trust us. He sees us as people who will just throw him out. He thinks we're just like everyone else!" Ryuji repeated.

Hurt was in his voice and it killed Ren. He looked up through his bangs to see everyone was hurt. He was the reason for it. He was the reason everyone was sad, worried, and hurt. He was the bad guy. He always was.

"I'm sorry. It's not you guys. It's me." He mumbled.

He stood up and walked to the table. Everyone moved out of the way as he did. He grabbed his bag and started heading downstairs.

"Ren..."

"I'm leaving. I'll be back once I calmed down." Ren said stopping on the top step.

Everyone looked like they wanted to say something. Anything. No one did.

"I'm sorry." He said before he dissapeared downstairs.

Ryuji was the first to move but stopped once he realized what he had just done. He grabbed his head and cursed as he sat down on one of the open chairs. Ren walked right past Sojiro simply saying he was heading out. He exited the cafe without another word and began his way down the street. His mind began to race. He couldn't think straight. He hopped on whatever train was there and rode it until he hopped on a different one. Then another. Then he was a bullet train traveling to god knows where. He just needed a break. He needed to be somewhere where he could be alone. He didn't care where. He needed to think. His phone had been going crazy for the last few hours urging him to check it. He ended up turning it off so it wouldn't bother him anymore.

He sank into his seat and closed his eyes to get some rest. He needed to sleep off the events of today to get a clear mind. Even with a dark cloud hanging over him, he rested.


	2. The Fool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren finds himself in a small town where he questions his decisions.

Ren was shaken awake by one the train's staff telling him to get off. It was the end of the line. Ren stretched before he grabbed his bag and headed out the door. When he stepped outside he was honestly surprised by what he saw. It wasn't much of a station. Hell it wasn't much of a town. It was so empty and quiet. Almost like a ghost town. Ren noticed it was day meaning he was on that damn train all night. He decided to find a proper place to sleep for a bit and immediately set out to find a hotel or inn of some short. He walked the streets only coming across a person or two as he looked around.

He didn't even know where he was or how far from Tokyo he is but he didn't bother worrying about that for now. He was already on a mission and with the help of some funds he had gathered thanks to his after school activities, he'd find himself some food and a room. He noticed the various decorations around the town and figured they were either about to through a celebration or had just finished one. Either way he was too distracted to notice a couple walking towards him. He accidentally bumbed into the man and quickly apologized before continuing on his way.

"He seemed troubled." The girl stated.

The man just looked at the boy wondering aimlessly through the street and decided to step in.

"Hey kid!"

Ren stopped and immediately took a deep breath. He really didn't feel like fighting so he was preparing himself to beg for forgiveness but was surprised to find the man offering a genuine smile. Ren looked over the man's shoulder to find the girl walking towards them as well.

"You look lost. I've never seen you around here before. You new?" The man asked.

Ren's eyes darted between the two people and noticed their odd appearance. Namely the girl's dark pink hair and the man's platinum bowl cut. He even had grey eyes.

"Yeah. I'm not from here. I don't even know where here is." Ren confessed.

The man turned to his girl and chuckled.

"Yeah I know that feeling. You look like you could use some rest. I just happen to know the best Inn in town." The man offered.  
\-----------  
"Any luck yet?"

Haru was looking over the group's navigator as the young girl typed away on her computer. She spent the entire night working to track Ren's phone after he refused to answer the group's texts. It took a bit to realize that he had turned his phone off and was now doing what she could to find him.

"Not yet." She said with a yawn.

Everyone was sitting around the cafe while Futaba did what she could. Sumire was the one who seemed the most down among the group. She was sitting at the counter mindlessly running her finger around the rim of the cup filled with now cold coffee. To say she was worried would be an understatement. Everyone noticed as well but in truth, no one knew what to do. Ren was always the one to be the shoulder to lean on. Then again if he was here, they wouldn't have been so worried.

"This is pointless. We're wasting precious time here." Akechi finally spoke up.

Everyone looked up to him as he shook his head in frustration.

"To hell with this. I'm going back to Maruki's palace to try and get some progress. Its be better if we multitask." He reasoned.

While Ryuji looked like he was ready to fight, Makoto was the one who stepped in.

"I agree. We can divide and conquer. Me, Akechi, Ann, and Ryuji will go to the palace while Haru, Futaba, Morgana, Yusuke, and Sumire stay here and keep looking for Ren." She suggested.

No one found it in themselves to argue and silently agreed. As much as he refuses to admit it, he was slightly worried as well. Joker was the only one who could rival him in power and seemed to be able to bring everyone together. He swore to focus on the palace first and foremost but he wordlessly wished the other luck.

As the palace team left the cafe, the search team continued their game of endlessly waiting. Futaba continued to type away while Haru watched. Yusuke sat in the opposite seat with a plate of untouched curry left behind by the chief. Morgana watched everyone from the counter before turning to Sumire who was still staring at the black liquid.

"I should've done something." She suddenly mumbled.

Morgana moved a bit closer and Sumire started petting him behind his ear but the cat couldn't purr.

"I should've talked to him. Calmed him down." She continued quietly.

"There wasn't anything we could do. Ren does what he wants. He wasn't in the right mindset either. You're not in the wrong." Morgana tried to reassure her.

Sumire shook her head.

"No. This entire time I was spilling my problems onto him but I never once talked to him about his." Her voice began to break but she did her best to keep it in.

Morgana looked at the poor girl and allowed her to hold him closer as she held it in.  
\-----------  
"Amagi Inn? I've heard of this place before." Ren said aloud as he stared at the sign in front of the Inn.

It seemed like a nice enough place. Actually it was quite fancy and Ren actually wondered if he had enough on him to pay for it. The man placed a hand on his shoulder with the ever present smile.

"Yeah it's been featured in a few magazines here and there. A good friend of mine owns the place. Inherited it from her family." He explained.

Ren just nodded and followed him as they walked down the stone path with the girl already at the entrance waiting for them. The three entered the Inn only to immediately be greeted by a woman who reminded Ren of his shogi master.

"Hello there! This is a surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure?" A woman asked.

Ren looked at her attire which was a red traditional dress with golden flowers decorated all over. Her raven hair was tied into a bun and her makeup was very minimal.

"We have a new costumer for you. He's new here and needs rest. You think you can help?" The man asked.

The woman nodded and turned to Ren.

"I can get a room ready for you right away. Would you like food as well?" She asked.

Ren just nodded. The woman told him to rest in the lobby while the staff got a room ready leaving Ren in silence with the man and girl.

"So what brings you to Inaba in the first place kid? Any particular reason?" The man asked.

Ren hesitated. Telling this to two strangers didn't sound so pleasing. Then again, what did it matter anymore? He had nothing else to lose.

"I got into a fight with my friends. I blew up and I, I ended up here. Inaba right?"

The man nodded.

"I hear you kid. I've been there myself." The man said.

Suddenly he began to chuckle as the girl rolled her eyes.

"He was quite the drama queen when we were in high school. He was always the one to help but refused help himself." She said

Sounds like someone Ren knew. Now that he actually had time to think about it, this guy reminded Ren about himself in more ways than one. It may sound weird but it was almost like he had some odd connection with him. It was weird but he didn't bother bringing it up.

"You're actually like me aren't you. A wildcard?" The man suddenly asked.

Ren's head popped up immediately and looked at the boy whose eyes grew wide.

"You know about the Metaverse?" Ren asked.

The man looked even more confused.

"The metaverse? We just called it the tv world." He explained.

The girl seemed much more interesting as the two males stared at each other.

"I'm sorry. I was meaning that as a metaphor. I didn't actually think, you have a persona?" The man questioned.

Ren nodded. Actually he had quite a few but if this man knew what a Wildcard was chances are he knew to.

"You know Igor?" Ren asked.

The man just nodded. Soon enough the woman came back and informed the group that Ren's room was ready but stopped when she saw the look on the man's face.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

The man looked at Ren and smiled.

"He's like me. A Wildcard." The man informed.

The woman looked at Ren with wide eyes but Ren was too busy looking at the floor. This explains why the two were so connected. They were both the same. Able to wear so many masks. Able to adapt to any situation. The only difference seems to be the fact that this man was able to be open to everyone, even strangers, while Ren hated his own self for being unable to do so.

"You know, ha, I don't even know your name." Ren suddenly realized.

The woman suddenly realized this fact and spoke up.

"My name is Yukiko Amagi." She introduced herself.

The pink haired girl followed.

"I'm Rise. The idol." She said with some annoyance at the last part.

The man leaned forward to look Ren in the eye with his ever present smile.

"I'm Yu. Yu Narukami. Nice to formally meet you Ren."  
\----------  
"I found him."

Those words caused everyone in the cafe to look up at the skilled hacker. Futaba covered her mouth as she finished typing with one hand.

"I found him. I found him."

Everyone quickly moved close to her and looked at the computer screen.

"Where is he?" Yusuke asked.

Futaba choked down her tears of joy as she smiled.

"Inaba. Only a few trains away."


	3. The Wildcards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren settles in Inaba. The Search Team and Palace Team talk about their next move.

Ren rolled to his side with a grunt as the afternoon sun beamed through the window and onto his face. Morning had long since gone away and the sun was at it's peak. After the shocking revolution that the people he had met earlier in the day were also Persona users, he had ate a fulfillingbreakfast and retired to his room for a quick nap. He had made plans with Yu and Rise to meet up at some address.

Ren also decides to finally bite the bullet and turn his phone back on in order to try and see if he can find the address. He was immediately bombarded with various notifications from the group, Sojiro, and even some of his other confidants. He ignored them and opened up the navigation app, the regular one, and typed in the address. It looked to be a house. Yu's perhaps? He'll just have to wait and see. Seeing how he had time to kill, Ren decided to look at some of the messages.

Art Freak: Where had you gone?

Art Freak: Everyone is searching for you.

Art Freak: I doubt I am the only one to contact you.

Art Freak: We want to help.

Miss President: You need to come back.

Miss President: It's getting late Ren and Yoshizawa is really worried.

Miss President: We all are.

Blondie: Ren you there?

Blondie: Ryuji is really sorry he snapped at you.

Blondie: Pease come back.

Blondie: If you want to talk we can talk.

Hack and Slash: I never knew you were feeling like the way you do.

Hack and Slash: We are willing to listen if you need to talk.

Hack and Slash: You have helped us all greatly and the least we can do is return the favor.

Hack and Slash: I'm sure Ryuji's outburst was an accident.

World's Best Rival: You're wasting time by sitting around pouting.

World's Best Rival: We need to get to work so whatever issues you're having deal with them.

World's Best Rival: I'm sure any of these sheep will be willing to help you.

Buddy: Dude I'm sorry about earlier.

Buddy: I shouldn't be yelling at ya for your problems.

Buddy: I feel like shit for lashing out on you.

Buddy: Come back so we can talk please.

Hacker Gal: Ren? Ren? Please tell me you didn't turn off your phone.

Hacker Gal: I won't track you if you don't want me to.

Hacker Gal: Please come back.

Hacker Gal: Ren?

Ren went through all the chats and felt the already growing pain in his chest worsen. He truly did feel like a piece of shit. His eyes fell onto the last set of messages that he knew would break his heart.

Tiny Dancer: Senpai? Where are you?

Ren locked his phone and slid it back into his pocket and decided he needed a shower and a fresh pair of clothes. He did have a meeting to get to.  
\-------  
Everyone was in the attic of LeBlanc as they discussed who to send after Ren in Inaba while the rest stayed behind and finish the route to the treasure. Morgana was the first to volunteer to stay in Tokyo with Akechi leaving everyone to figure out what to do.

"I say the heavy hitters stay behind. Morgana can cover healing and navigation. Ryuji, Yusuke, Haru, and I will help Akechi. Sumire, Futaba, and Ann will go to Inaba and find Ren." Makoto proposed.

"Only three people? Shouldn't we send more?" Yusuke asked.

Makoto shook her head.

"Right now we're on a time limit. We need to make as much progress as possible." Akechi reminded them.

"What do we do when we find him? Convince him to come back?" Ann asked.

Makoto had honestly not thought that far. They needed to find him first before they could do anything. With Futaba's help it wouldn't be too hard but how were they even going to talk to him. Surely he would've calmed down by now.

"Do what it takes. I'll leave everything to you guys."  
\--------

Ren ended up buying new clothing from a local thrift store before heading down the street to find the house he was supposed to meet Yu and Rise at. Soon enough he found the home and walked through the gate. He knocked on the door and waited before a girl who look around his age popped her head through the door. She looked at Ren who awkwardly smiled.

"Is Tu Narukami here?" He asked.

The girl nodded and opened the door all the way.

"Are you Ren?" She asked.

Ren just nodded.

"Oh. Well my name is Nanoko Dojima. Yu is my cousin. He's in the living room with Rise." She said as she allowed the boy to enter.

Ren gave her a nod and walked into the home where he almost immediately spotted Yu and Rise watching TV at the small table. On the table was four things of instant noodles.

"Hey you made it. I see you met my little cousin." Yu greeted.

Ren took a seat across from Yu while Nanoko sat to his right and Rise on his left.

"So you're probably wondering why I asked you here. Let me start by saying there are a lot of Persona users out there. And there's also another Wildcard you haven't met yet. I would introduce you but they're kind of across the globe dealing with some other stuff." Yu explained.

Ren was somehow still surprised and guessed they were also fighting some threat.

"I would like to know more about you and your friends." Yu stated.

"Well I guess I should start by saying that yes, my friends are also Persona users. I'm the leader. You ever heard of the Phantom Thieves?" Ren asked.

Nanoko's head popped up at the name and it seemed to peak everyone's interest.

"That's me and my friends. We use our Personas to steal the hearts of those who wronged others. At least we used to. We fought off the god of control but by defeating him we unintentionally allowed another person to step in and alter reality. We're currently trying to stop him." Ren finished.

Yu and Rise smiled at each other as if they were remembering a fond memory while Nanoko seemed shocked at this revelation.

"Man do we have some notes to compare."


	4. The Mission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yu tells Ren of a dire mission that could require his assistance. The Search Team arrive in Inaba.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, Here I go again.  
> Shout out to those still reading. Y'all some good mates.

Ren was now sitting on the couch as the news played on the TV. Apparently Yu, Rise, and Nanako knew the weather girl but Ren couldn't recall ever seeing her before. She was quite beautiful in Ren's opinion and he could tell Rise would have a hint of jealousy when she spoke. Yu implied past feelings for her but from Ren's perspectivehe had completely moved on. Regardless Ren decided to stay one more night in Inaba after talking to Yu who invited him to stay for dinner which Ren agreed to. He himself found it weird that he felt like he could trust Yu even a little bit after spending the last year in his situation. He brushed it off as the two sharing a bond by being connected through being Wildcards. Regardless the two had hit it off and Ren had spent the rest of the day talking to the trio who had warmly welcomed him into their lives.

"Hey when you get a chance I want to talk to you in the kitchen." Yu had sudden whispered to him before disappearing.

Ren looked over to Rise and Nanako but the two were currently occupied with fashion magazines and Nanako talking about school. Turns out she was actually only a year older than him but was still a second year after some medical issue during her grade school days. Ren picked himself up off the couch and walked over to the kitchen where Yu was cooking some meat on the stove.

"I see you're fitting in pretty well." Yu said without looking up.

Ren looked back at the two girls. Rise had told Nanoko something that had made her blush and shake her head earning a laugh from the older girl.

"I guess. Thank you for the hospitality. You've done so much for me." Ren thanked.

"Well I've been in your shoes before. The world on your shoulders, feeling like no one else can understand. I was lucky enough to find people who could help take some of that burden."

Ren leaned against the fridge and looked down at his feet. He wish he could say the same. He knew that his friends would do everything they could to help him but he just couldn't let himself bother them. He had dragged all of them into this. It was his burden to bear alone.

"That being said, you're not alone kid. I'm here. There's an entire team out there dedicated to people like us. The Shadow Ops do stuff like this on the daily. They're actually why we're back in Inaba right now." Yu informed.

Ren looked up to see that Yu had finished up what he needed to do and was now drinking a beer he had sitting nearby. He had thought about offering one to Ren when Rise shot the idea down. Underaged drinking would not be allowed in this house it seems. Ren silently agreed to a late night drink later on.

"I needed to come back here anyway. I became Nanako's guardian two years ago when her father, my uncle, died in a the line of duty. He was one of those people who helped me. I had to go away for a while and Rise had been watching over her. Apparently there had been a sudden spike in shadow activity here and I was sent here to investigate." Yu explained.

"Shadow activity? In the real world?" Ren asked shocked.

"Yeah. Shadows had been able to interact with the real world for a while now. It's also how we can summon our personas as well. The Shadow Ops gave me and my friends these devices to be able to do so. They're called Evokers. We shot ourselves and they appear. It's how we fight them." Yu said opening a drawer and pulling out a small gun like device.

Yu handed it to Ren to look over and Ren was surprised to feel the weight. He examined it and recognized how different it was from his model gun.

"That being said, Rise doesn't know about this mission. Neither does Nanako or Yukiko." Yu revealed.

Ren looked at him confused.

"Then why are you telling me?" Ren asked.

Yu looked over to the two girls and took the Evoker back before throwing it back into the drawer.

"Because I could use your help. If you want of course, I'm not going to force you. Another wildcard could be useful." Yu explained.

Ren thought it over and figured he was right. Two people who can wield multiple personas could be unstoppable in the threat they were bound to face. Ren looked over at the calendar and recalled the deadline he was given by Maruki. He still had a week. If this town really was in danger than he should help.

"Alright. When do we start?" Ren asked.

Yu smiled as he finished cooking.

"Tomorrow. Tonight we eat and celebrate a new friend."  
\-----------  
The entire train ride was long, quiet, and tense. Sumire kept her attention on the window the entire time while Futaba slept after her 24 hour search. Ann had bought a hunch of snacks for the trip but they laid mostly untouchedin the empty seat next to the blonde who was distracting herself with her phone. They only had one more stop before they reached the small town of Inaba. One more stop until they can start looking for Ren.

Sumire found herself growing more and more nervous as she finally realized that she would soon have to face Ren. Her boyfriend. Her lover. Her confidant. The same one who had blew up and ran off. She was trying to think about what to say once she was reunited with him.

"Next stop Inaba. Next stop Inaba." The speaker informed.

Sumire gently shook Futaba awake as Ann stuffed all the snacks into her bag. The train came to a halt and the three girls got off and were surprised by the deserted station. They walked out into the parking lot where they found themselves alone yet again. They began walking towards the Inn Futaba had found online when they found themselves in the middle of a street filled with people working on decorating their various shops and homes.

"I wonder if a festival is being put together." Ann said to no one in particular.

They continued on their way before finding the Amagi Inn. They entered and we almost immediately greeted by a woman with long black hair.

"Hello. Do you have a reservation?" She asked.

Futaba gave her name, or fake name, and the woman smiled.

"Perfect. Your room is ready. I am Yukiko Amagi. I own this Inn so if you need anything please feel free to just ask. I'll show you to your room." She offered.

The three girls were led to a room where they dropped off their bags and began to settle in for the night. Yukiko left them as they all claimed their own spots in the room.

"Tomorrow we start looking for Ren. We should get some rest for tonight." Sumire suggested.

No one argued as they changed into their sleepwear and laid down for the night. Sumire didn't fall asleep right away. She just laid on her back and stared at the ceiling now knowing she was in the same town as Ren. Tomorrow they began their search.  
\--------------  
Ren sat on the old lawn chair as Yu started up the fire. Rise was telling a story about one of their friends while Nanako sipped on the soda in her hands to his right. The entire time Rise was watching the two which greatly confused Ren but he chose to leave it be. Yu finished messing with the fire and sat next to Ruse who cuddled up to her beau. Ren was drinking a can of cola Yu had offered him and watched the fire dance. It had reminded him of the first time he had summoned Arsene. The time he accepted his true self.

Rise finished her story and everyone laughed at the ending. Ren felt at ease watching the three interact in a almost family manner. He wondered if that was what it looked like to everyone when they saw him with Futaba and Sojiro. True, he considered them closer to a family than his own but at the same time he couldn't help but be unable to truly be open with them. The painful feeling only made it worse one he recalled the awful things he had said. He was getting into his head again but stopped once he felt a hand on his. He looked up to see Nanako with a worried look on her face.

"You ok?" She asked quietly.

Ren looked at the girl and finally allowed himself to look at her in the eyes. He rarely did this anymore since he always found himself letting his guard down. Her brown eyes stared back into his own, her right slightly covered by her short brown hair. She was wearing a pink and yellow sweater with a plaid skirt that reached her mid thigh. She was extremely gorgeous but Ren couldn't bring himself to see her that way.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Just thinking about some stuff." He half lied.

She leaned forward a bit with a small, sincere, smile on her face.

"You want to talk about it? I'm willing to listen." She offered.

Ren was going to turn her down but suddenly found himself lost for words. Yu looked at the two and smirked before whispering something into Rise's ear. The two smiled at each other and excused themselves for the night allowing Ren to spend the night in the spare room. Ren thanked them and watched as they left leaving the two teens alone. Ren left the question hanging in the air before taking a deep breath.

"I, I guess I just regret what I did. Yelling at my friends and the thing I told them." Ren confessed.

Nanako shifted herself to better face him not once letting go of his hand or breaking eye contact.

"Do you regret what you said, or that you didn't say it sooner?" She questioned.

There it was. The thing he truly needed to hear. It was true that he didn't entirely believe what he had said but he had said it. There was truth behind his words no matter how small. He wondered if he had broken earlier and told them the truth rather than hide it, would it have made a difference? Would he be here now?

"I don't know. They deserve it. They've been by my side this entire time but I couldn't trust them. I couldn't let myself trust them."

Nanako continued to listen as Ren contiued.

"I helped them constantly and formed these bonds with them but I, I couldn't afford to let them see me as vulnerable. I was scared that they would turn on me. And I hate myself for it. I hate the fact that I can'thelp but see them as my enemies even after everything we had been though."

Ren felt like he was going to break again. Nanako placed a hand on his cheek forcing him to look at her.

"That's not your fault Ren. You've been betrayed by those closest to you before. You at least know that you can trust them and that should be enough. I know you feel like everyone is your enemy but no one is going to blame you for it. Especially not your friends." She said softly.

He knew that. He knew that better than anyone. He finally broke. Tears spilled from his eyes as he began to hunch over. Nanako embraced him as he sobbed quietly. He knew that his friends wouldn't blame him for his issues. He knew that he had so many people he could turn to. He knew that he wasn't alone. Then why did he feel like this? Why did he feel so alone? Why did he have this hate in his heart.

"It's ok. I'll be here Ren. It's ok."

He decided to finally be weak for tonight. He needed to be strong tomorrow.


	5. The Search

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Search Team looks for Ren. Ren and Yu start their investigation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all don't mind two short chapters back to back do ya?

The morning brought hope as the three girls reacted for their day. Futaba ate the rest of the snacks while Sumire and Ann decided to eat some actual food at a nearby tofu shop. They ventured out to the streets and walked among the crowds while Futaba looked at her phone. Ren's phone was still off but she decides that they could use the last known location to get a lead. How hard could it be to find a fluffy haired stranger in a small town? They found the place and were surprised to find a home in the residential district.

"Could he be inside?" Ann asked.

Sumire walked forward and read the name plate.

"Narukami." She read aloud.

They looked at each other and decided to knock. After a while they didn't receive a response so Sumire knocked again. Still no reply.

"Maybe they're gone? Now that I think about it isn't everyone at that festival? Maybe they left earlier." Futaba suggested.

Ann decided it was best to head over to the main street where the festival was being held. As they started their way there two girls passed by them and entered the house.  
\----------  
"So what are we looking for exactly?" Ren asked Yu as they walked down the crowded street.

They had left early in the morning in order to get a head start after taking Rise's Evoker while she was out. They found themselves in the middle of the festival which was celebrating the goddess Kusumi no Ookami or something along those lines.

"You'll know when you see it. Trust me." Yu simply said as he looked at the crowd with his signature smile.

Ren didn't bother to question it as he let out a yawn and stretched out his arms. He had to admit that the small town had made him feel more at home due to coming from the country himself. The festival was a nice little event that made him calm. Things were quiet despite the crowd and he didn't feel as suffocated as he did in Tokyo. Yu offered to buy him something from a stand to which Ren agreed not really paying attention. His mind was still on the night before with Nanako. He opened up for the first time since his arrest and he felt like he had a weight lifted off his chest, no matter how small.

After he had finished breaking down he and Nanako stayed outside for one more hour before putting the fire out and heading upstairs to sleep. Ren found himself actually happy to wake up for the first time since, since, it's been a while. He ate breakfast with everyone before he and Yu had left. Nanako's looks didn't go unnoticed either. Ren was a taken man. He will remain loyal. He will. No matter how cute the girl was.

His mind then shifted to Sumire. She had to be freaking out. He didn't even think about it until last night when he thought back to her and Kasumi. She must be scared to lose someone else and that only made Ren feel much worse. He fought with himself on rather or not to send everyone a message but instead found that his phone had died due to him not charging it for the last two days. He left it at the house to charge, deciding to report to the group once he got back.

Yu handed him a skewer with meat on it and he began to eat it mindlessly as he scanned the crowd. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he heard someone yell. He looked around but found nothing out of place. That was until he felt something hit his nose. Then something hit his head. He looked up and noticed that the sky was suddenly covered in clouds and rain began to fall upon everyone. He was about to complain before he realized no one else seemed to noticed the rainfall. He looked over to Yu who held a hand out.

"Is it raining?" He asked confused.

Ren suddenly had a flash back to that day he fought against the false god. The bloody rain that no one saw. Vanishing. Dying. He shook the bad memories from his mind and looked around before spotting someone staring at him from across the way. Or rather, something. An all black figure with a white mask covering what should be it's face.

"Yu."

Yu looked over and spotted the figure. He and Ren looked at each other and nodded before pushing through the crowd to follow the shadow.  
\---------  
"Man it's packed here." Sumire observed.

The crowd filled in the street as the residents and visitors walked around and enjoyed the festivities. The three girls walked through the crowd as they searched for their friend. He would stick out in a crowd like this. They ended up entering the shops and showed pictures of him in an attempt to find him. A lot of people either didn't recognize him or didn't care to help as they tried to sell various products.

They ended up back on the street and contiued their search by asking other passerbys who weren't much help. They ended up regrouping in front of a stand where they began to discuss their next plan.

"What do we do? Maybe we can go back to the Inn and ask the people staying there?" Ann suggested.

Futaba was about to suggest something else before a man almost bumped into them. He quickly apologized with a charming smile and a bow. He order two sticks of meat while the girls continued talking. Sumire's eyes soon fell back onto the man due to his odd hair color and watched as he walked back through the crowd with the two sticks. Her eyes grew wide once she saw him walk away with someone with fluffy black hair. She immediately recognized him as Ren and began to push through the crowd much to Ann and Fuataba's confusion. They looked to where she was heading and spotted Ren as well.

"Ren!" Sunire tried to call out over the loud crowd.

Ren seemed to have heard her before looking into the sky. She watched as he looked to the man who was holding his hand out. He told Ren something and watched as he scanned the crowd before spotting something. He got the man's attention and the two nodded before walking across the street where they promptly dissapeared before Sumire's eyes.

"What the heck just happened?" Futaba asked in disbelief.

"Did they enter a palace? Where did they go?" Ann asked.

Sumire just pushed through the crowd to where the two dissapeared. They found no traces of them.

"Is it just the heat playing tricks on us? What was that?" Ann asked.

"That was Ren right?" Sumire asked turning back to the two girls.


	6. The Shadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren and Yu face their foe.

Ren contiued to walk against the wall with Yu following before they found themselves right back at the main road. It was still pouring but no one reacted to the rain. Ren figured it was just something to do with their cognition but he didn't even feel like he was in the real world. No one seemed to notice them as they walked by. Yu suggested that it was the shadow's doing but neither could recall one this powerful as to change reality like this. Sure Maruki could but he had a persona. They ended up stopping in the middle of the street as people passed them by without even looking at them.

"This is weird. I could've sworn that we were heading towards Junes. How did we end up back here?" Yu mumbled to him while deep in thought.

Ren scanned the crowd once again and spotted the shadow. It was just standing there in the middle of the street. It contiued to stare at them making the two wildcards uneasy. What was it doing? It was just standing there with this red aura around it. Yu grabbed his Evoker as did Ren and the two prepared for a fight should it come. The shadow began to shake and twitch signaling its transformation. Suddenly red and black liquid covered it before a large monstrous form appeared. The Ripper.

"What the hell? What's the Ripper doing outside of Mementos?" Ren asked.

The Ripper lifted one of its guns and opened fire. The two moved out of the way but the bullet instead collided with a couple walking around. They both fell to the ground. Everyone noticed and another man helped them back up.

"So the attacks affect them to? This isn't good." Yu said clenching his Evoker.

That meant they had to be careful. They had to watch what they were doing. Yu pointed the Evoker to his head and pulled the trigger.

"Jack Frost!"

The persona appeared and released a powerful ice attack which hit the Ripper's arm. It turned back to the boys and lifted his free arm to fire again. Ren was quick on his feet and lifted his own Evoker.

"Vishnu!"

The deity appeared behind Ren.

"Megidolaon!"

A brilliant light appeared around the shadow before erupting beautifully. The Ripper had staggered but quickly recovered before firing off more shots. The two were quick to dodge as more people were hit. Ren took note that they weren't injured before attacking again. This time he had failed to realize that the Ripper had already closed in on them and was about to attack again. He swung the long revolver into Ren sending him flying down the street. He crashes through one of the booths which got people's attention.

"Persona!"

Yu shot the Evoker again and summoned Odin.

"Ziodyne!"

Several lighting strike hit the Ripper shocking him to stay in place. Ren smiled at this and picked himself up. He ran towards the shadow while lifting the Evoker to his head.

"Metatron, Sword Dance!"

The shadow was swiftly attacked by various blades leaving it near defeated. Yu and Ren both smirked as they lifted the Evoker to their heads together. Raoul and Izanagi-no-Okami appeared as they both pointed toward the Ripper.

"Ravish them!"

"Behold, the truth!"

Both Personas attacked the Ripper ruthlessly causing it to cry out in pain before being engulfed in a bright light. It fell to it's knees defeated.

"Master, I have, failed you..."

It dissapeared into nothingness and Ren put the Evoker back into his pokect. The rain stopped and Yu was bumped into someone signaling their return to the real world. Yu slid the Evoker back into his jacket pocket and led Ren throygh the crowd. They finally reached an alleyway where they had some kind of privacy to discuss what had just happened.

"That thing, did it say it had a master or was I imagining things?" Yu asked.

"No. He said master. Someone is behind this." Ren concluded.

Yu went back into his own world thinking while Ren looked around. He spotted the booth he had crashed into and figured he would be feeling that later. Actually he felt it now. It hurt like hell. He lifted his shirt to see that he was already bruising to his surprise. He never had injuries from the metaverse. Yu snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed Ren's wounds and immediately began to worry.

"Woah kid. We should take care of that first. It looks pretty bad." Yu stated.

Ren agreed despite wanting to solve the pressing mystery at hand. He figured it would be better for him to be healed up for the next fight and agreed to go back to the house. He looked back down at the wound before a voice rang out in the alley.

"Hm? I thought there was only one here."

The two snapped their heads towards a man who was standing on the other end of the alley. Yu tensed up while Ren gathered his features. Red spiky hair, blue eyes, wore a jumpsuit? He had something wrapped around his waist.

"Sho?" Yu asked.

The boy, Sho, smiled wickedly as he reached his arms out.

"You remember! Great. This would be much more boring if you didn't."

Yu moved to block Ren as he clenched his fists.

"What are you doing here?"

Sho leaned against the wall with his arms crossed but continued to smile.

"Just having some fun. Seeing how you're doing. Maybe kill a person or two." He said calmly.

"You're responsible for this?" Ren asked.

Sho just nodded. He looked down at the watch on his wrist and shrugged.

"Well that's it for me, for now. Don't you worry though, I'll be back." He promised before disappearing into the crowd.

Yu stood there for a bit before turning back to Ren. He noticed the sour look on the older boy's face and knew that this was all bad news. Yu had briefly mentioned someone named Sho last night but hadn't gone into detail. Ren could tell why. Yu refocused his attention on Ren's wound and offered to help take him back to the house which Ren agreed to after finding his legs growing weak as well. Ren throw an arm around Yu who supported his weight and the two began to walk down the alley before a new voice stopped them.

"Ren?"  
\-------------  
The three girls were sitting at one of the many table located under the food tent as they ate lunch trying to figure out their next move. They could just go back to the Narukami house later in the afternoon but they didn't know what kind of people they were. They decided to take their chances and finished their food before going back out to the streets and looking around the festival yet again. Sumire's mind never left Ren as she wondered what he was doing. She had seen him then he just vanished. They checked the nav yet nothing was there.

She suddenly found herself thinking back to their first formal introduction. Back when she was still Kasumi. Kamoshida had just told her about a bunch of trouble students she should stay away from if she wanted to stay at Shujin when they left the room and ran into Kawakami and Ren. She had recognized the boy as the same one who tried to help her on the subway. Kamoshida told her to stay away before she blurted out the awful title he was unfairly given.

After that all he did was help her. He had saved her from the creep the day of the clean up, he helped her when she was down after her competition, he helped her realize who she wanted to be. He stayed by her side even after he learned that she wasn't who she thought she was. And to think, she once thought he was a criminal. He had seen that he was nothing but a kind soul trying to do good. She had fallen in love with him and he returned those feelings.

The girls stopped when a couple had fallen to the ground up ahead causing everyone around to stop and a man helped them back to their feet. They thought nothing of it until it happened again around the same area. Futaba walked over and looked around but found nothing they could've tripped on. The three girls looked at each other before hearing a loud commotion across the way. They went to investigate only to find a broken food stand.

"Ok, this is weird." Ann mumbled.

They looked around before spotting a head of silver duck into an alley way.

"It's that guy from before! The one we saw with Ren!" Futaba said pointing at the alleyway.

Sumire turned and began walking that way but Ann stopped her surprisingly. Sumire turned to face the older girl who was talking to Futaba.

"We need a plan first. We can't just approach him. He could still be upset." She reasoned.

Futaba agreed. Sumire could see that being an issue as well but she wanted to see Ren. She had felt so awful the last few days and she wanted to hurry and apologize before it was too late.

"How about we send Yoshizawa in first. Ren is her boyfriend after all. Maybe she can keep him calm for us." Futaba suggested.

It seemed like a good plan. Ren was always so caring for Sumire and he never snapped at her. They only had one real fight and it was over rather or not he should cut his hair. Sumire won that argument and he took her out for ice cream. It was just who Ren was. Especially for those he cared most for. Sumire agreed to the plan and the three girls walked towards the alley. Ann and Futaba stopped nearby and urged Sumire to go on. She did. What she found was an injured Ren hanging on the mysterious man barely able to walk.

"Ren?"

She watched as the two turned around to face her with wide eyes. She covered her mouth as tears began to form at the condition of her lover. She could see the ugly bruise under his shirt due to it being slightly lifted and the limp in his walk was very noticeable. He even had a cut on his cheek that was bleeding. He looked like he was just thrown through, a, stand. She pieced everything together immediately and realized he had just gotten done fighting. He was hurt.

"Oh my, you need help. We need to take you to the hospital." She silently whispered as she approached the two.

Ren didn't respond to the request instead opting to just stare at her in confusion and shock.

"What are you doing here? How did you get here?" He asked.

The man contiued to hold onto Ren as Sumire finally reached them. She gently placed one hand on Ren's good cheek and looked into his eyes. Ren felt needles stab into his heart as he looked at his worried girlfriend. What hurt most was that she was worried about him.

"We need to get him somewhere. The streets aren't safe anymore. I know someone who can patch him up." The man stated.

Ren knew he was talking about either Rise or Nanako which made him slightly more at ease before turning back to Sumire.

"They're good people. We need to get going though. I'll explain everything once we're safe." He promised.

He watched as both Ann and Futaba entered the alleyway once again with wide eyes.

"Ren?! What happened?!" Ann said rushing over.

The man gave Ren an odd look to which Ren just shrugged. He mumbled something about making pretty girls worry and told the group to follow him. Sumire helped him by getting Ren's other side and the group began their way down the street towards the man's home.  
\-----------  
Ren found himself hissing in pain once again as Nanako placed a cotton ball onto his cheek to clean the wound. He was currently shirtless on the floor of the Narukami house while Nanako batched him up and the girls watched worriedly. Rise had dragged Yu outside to talk, Ren was pretty sure they were arguing right now, leaving him alone to deal with the worried, and jealous, looks. He kept taking occasional glances to Sumire who was sitting on the couch behind him. She seemed to have calmed down once Yu explained the situation. Ren was thankful for that much.

Nanako placed the bandaged onto the wound and gave a gentle pat signaling she was done. She began to pack everything away while Sumire handed...well, pushed his shirt silently demanding he put it in. Ren did so and kept the groans of pain to himself as he lifted it over his head. Nanako noticed this and helped much to Sumire's displeasure. Once Ren was situated, he leaned against the couch gently and closed his eyes. It had been a rollercoaster over the last few days. 

"So when did you guys get here?" He asked.

Futaba informed him that they had gotten there the night before which surprised Ren since he had gotten to Inaba the morning before meaning they had a whole day to find him. He suddenly remembered that Futaba could track his phone and must've gone so when he turned it back on to find Yu's home. He rolled his head to look at Sumire who was looking at her feet.

"We were really worried. You didn't answer anyone after disappearing like that. We thought something bad happened." She told him without look his way.

Ren gave his signature grin as he reached out for her hand.

"I'm fine. I just got caught up in some stuff. I was going to message you guys today." He explained.

She gently held his hand and smiled as she placed herself next to him. She laid her head on his shoulder. Nanako distracted herself with putting the first aid away while Ann sent a message to the group chat telling them they had found Ren.

"Well the last train leaves in three hours. We can be back in Tokyo tonight." Futaba said looking at her phone.

Ren looked at the ground conflicted. Sure, he was needed back in Tokyo to deal with Maruki but he had a full week to do so. And from what the girls told him, he didn't have to worry about the progress since Makoto had reported that they had reached the final stage. They would just be waiting around regardless. He was needed here as well. Sho was enough if a threat to make Yu worried. He couldn't just leave him hanging now.

"I'm not going back yet." He decided.

The girls all looked at him confused. He turned to Sumire who just seemed heartbroken.

"What? Why not?" She asked.

"Yu needs my help. If this Sho guy is really as bad as I think then...."

"Then you're in no shape to fight him. Look at you Ren! You could barely walk here!" Sumire pointed out.

She was no longer holding his hand which now felt cold. He looked to Ann and Futaba for help but judging the looks on their faces, they were in agreement with Sumire. He knew where they were coming from but he had already made up his mind. People's lives were at stake here.

"I'm not leaving. Sho is dangerous and I need to help." He stood his ground.

Sumire couldn't believe what she was hearing. Ren, Joker, the leader of the Phantom Thieves, was going to risk his life yet again to fight a crazed lunatic for a group of people he hardly knew. While it would normally be admirable, she was already to worried due to recent events. This was the last thing Ren needed.

"No. You need to come back to Tokyo and rest. Mr. Narukami can handle it on his own. You don't need to throw your life away like this." She begged.

"I'm staying Sumire. I know you guys are worried but I need to stay here and stop Sho. I can't leave this burden with Yu. I need to help." Ren firmly stated.

"But what about you? You need help more than anyone right now." Futaba argued.

He knew this. He was the most broken person in the house right now but he didn't care. This was his therapy. Him helping others allowed himself to go on. He realized this. He defeated Kamoshida and met Ryuji, Ann, and Morgana. He had fought through every palace, beaten every foe, and met everyone. This allowed him to be able to help others. He knew his strength and he knew how to use it. He couldn't just let these people suffer. He had to help them because if he didn't, he would hate himself more. He stood up and turned to be able to face all three of his teammates.

"I know I need help. So let me do this. Let me help Yu. Let me help myself."

Then he did something he had never had to do before. He bowed. Everyone in the room was shocked at this sudden action.

"Please let me be useful and help. I know I'm broken but I would hate myself forever if I just walked away from someone in need. I know that you guys are worried and I understand why but I need you to understand that I'm not going anywhere until Sho is stopped. After that I'll go back to Tpkyo and stop Maruki. That is my promise to you."

Sumire stood up causing Ren to look at her. That painful feeling returned when he saw the tears and anger in her eyes. She turned away and rushed out of the house. Ren closed his eyes and stood up. He then turned to Ann.

"Take care of her please. You all should just go back to Tokyo. I'll keep you guys posted." He stated before sitting back down onto the couch.

He buried his head in his hands as he thought about his next step. He needed to stop Sho. He needed to.  
\--------  
Sumire found herself outside of the house in a ball as she quietly cried. How could he be so selfish? Everyone was worried and he choose to be the hero. He knew that she had already lost someone important once yet he seemed to just throw that worry aside like it was nothing. He had the audacity to bow and ask them to let him stay. She wasn't mad. In truth, she was scared. Terrified. She didn't know what was going to happen. There was no plan, no treasure to steal, no team. It was just the two of them running around waiting to get attacked.

She soon found herself unable to cry anymore. She was extremely worried but she soon remembered who it was she was freaking out over. It was Ren. Her Ren. Joker. The fearless leader and stylish fighter. She had seen him take heavy hits and get back up like it was nothing. He had fought for her despite bot knowing the true her. Why was she worried? Why was she scared? It was Ren. She stood up and brushed herself off before taking a deep breath. She turned back towards the house and entered finding everyone there. Ren looked up surprised as she walked towards him. She reached up, grabbed his collar, and pulled him down for a kiss. It was sweet and long over due. She finally let him go and looked him in the eyes.

"I won't force you to go back. I understand why you're doing this." She whispered to him.

He smiled as his hands found their way to her hips.

"We'll also stay and send word for the others. If the situation gets to the point where you two are in danger, we'll be there to help." She promised.

Ren knew the underlying meaning behind those words. He nodded in agreement earning a smile from Yu.

"Well look at that. Even more reinforcements." He gleefully said.

Sumire looked to him confused.

"More?"

The front door opened and the group heard several footsteps enter the home.

"Sorry for intruding!"

They all turned to see a new batch of people being led in by a man wearing a baseball cap with a sword necklace. Behind him was a man around Yu's age who had orange messy hair with a pair of orange headphone around his neck.

"What's up partner?" The messy haired boy greeted.

Yu just smiled.

"Hey Yosuke. Guess the calvary has arrived."


	7. The Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren gets a surprised visitor at the Amagi Inn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I do my take on the Persona story? 0-0
> 
> FYI for the sake of this story I'm changing around some dates. Sorry not sorry. 0_0

Ren and Co found themselves feeling suffocated in the house after the arrival of the other Persona Users so, by Yu's request, they ended up back at the Inn. Ren, Futaba, Ann, and Sumire were sitting on the couch watching as the other interacted. The boy with shaggy orange hair was Yosuke. Yu's best friend and Co leader of the disbanded Investigation Team. He was talking to Yu while another woman, Chie if Ren recalled, was catching up with Yukiko. Rise had made a passing comment on two others being on a honeymoon trip. Ren often found himself looking at the large mascot bear who was actually a person? He didn't really know.

Ren turned his attention to the other, older, users such as Junpei who reminded him so much of Ryuji. He wore a hat that had definitely seen better days and looked like he never really grew up. Actually, wasn't he a baseball player? Now that he thought about it, they all seemed familiar. Mitsuru Kirijo. She was the CEO of The Kirijo Corporation. He also realized why Futaba kept staring at the beautiful Yukari. She was the actress who played the pink featherman. There was also a boy about a year older than him hanging around the boxer. Ken and Akihiko. And that dog was Komomaru? And that blonde girl, she almost seemed robotic.

"I guess every group is a weird one." Ann mumbled.

That could be it. They weren't very normal themselves. They had a talking cat after all. From what he could gather, Yu and himself were the Wildcards of their groups. The final group, the Shadow Operatives Ren learned, didn't seem to have one. Or at least he couldn't find out who it was.

Yu walked towards them with Nanako in tow. Ren looked again and noticed the blonde haired girl was with them.

"Hey kid. The others are wanting to meet you. It's not everyday we have three wildcards in the same place." He explained.

Ren looked over to his small group. Sumire gave him a reassuring smile. He stood up and walked with Yu leaving Nanako with the girls while the blonde haired girl followed the two. They walked up to Mitsuru who had her arms crossed but still smiled. She was definitely a woman with power.

"Ren I presume? It's a pleasure to meet you." She greeted.

Ren gave a lazy nod and peeked over his shoulder at the blonde haired girl. He was getting the same feeling he did with Yu. Was she the other wildcard?

"From what Yu has told me, I'm glad you are so willing to help. I also understand that you have some issues of your own. A Persona User changing reality. This is quite dire. Nothing the Phantom Thieves can't handle I assume."

Ren nodded.

"We have it under control. My team isn't something to take lightly." Ren explained.

Mitsuru smiled and turned to the girl.

"Aigis you're making him uneasy. Introduce yourself." She scolded.

The girl, Aigis, bowed and gave a brief introduction.

"She is our wildcard. Not the original however but that's besides the point. We're glad that we have some extra hands to deal with this. Sho isn't someone who goes down without swinging." Mitsuru stated.

Ren had to agree. He had met him once but his power was like nothing he had felt before. It honestly scared him. Ren looked back to his friends. Someone like him was loose and could hurt any of them. That was something he wasn't going to let happen.

"I'm glad you're letting me help."  
\------------  
The girls had all left for a bath while the guys stayed downstairs and passed around introductions. Ren found himself actually enjoying their company. Junpei and Akihiko seemed to just spill confidence and experience as did Ken who was indeed only a year older. Teddie and Yosuke were adopted brothers as it turns out and Yu pretty much blended in naturally. Ren was almost jealous at their bonds. He was the fresh meat among them all.

"Hey kid, how old are ya?" Junpei asked.

"16."

"Not old enough for a drink. Well, more for us."

Ren and Ken stayed out of their alcoholic celebration despite Yu offering to turn a blind eye. Ren found himself soon chating with Ken who almost reminded him of Makoto in the way he focused on his studies and his curious nature.

"You're only a second year? You seem so much older." Ken pointed out surprised.

Ren rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed before laughing awkwardly.

"I beat he's a ladies man just like Minato. All wildcards are." Junpei drunkenly stated.

Minato? Who was that? And yeah he could see Yu being a ladies man.

"Of course the hero has to have a harem of ladies! It's only right!" Teddie declared.

When did the bear loose the costume?

"How many girlfriends do you got? 2? 3?" Junpei asked.

Ren shook his head.

"Only 1. Sumire. The girl with the red bow." Ren explained.

Yu had a cheeky grin in his face while Yosuke seemed to think about something. Teddie laughed as he threw an arm around Yosuke.

"Thinking about Yukiko brother? You should know by now that ship has long since sailed." He teased.

Yosuke's face grew redder than Makoto's eyes as he threw an elbow into the poor bears stomach.

"Shut it you perv!" He demanded before Yu joined in on the fun.

"It's alright buddy. I'm sure Chie would welcome you with open arms."

"IF YOU HURRY UP AND MAKE A DAMN MOVE!" Akihiko yelled annoyed.

OK! So there was drama on that side. Ken seemed awkward in the situation as did Ren. What were they even supposed to say.

"I'm sorry for my friend's behavior." Ken told Ren under his breath.

"It's ok. Mine aren't any better." Ren assured.

Ren felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and excused himself to answer it. He entered the main lounge before deciding that it was too loud which ended up with him being outside. He pulled the device out of his pocket and didn't recognize the number. He answered anyway.

"Hello?"

"You should've stayed inside."

Ren felt a sharp pain in his shoulder causing him to drop his phone. He slowly peered over his shoulder to see Sho standing there with a phone in one hand and the blade in the other. Sho smirked before placing the phone into his pocket. Ren then looked at his shoulder to see the tip of the blade stabbing through as red spread over his shirt.

"So you're the new guy. I haven't met you before." Sho stated before kicking Ren away pulling his blade out of his shoulder in the process. Ren landed hard on the ground as Sho approached slowly.

"This just doesn't involve you kid. Stay away. I want the silver haired prick not you." He warned.

Ren slowly got back up and tried to throw a fist but Sho was quick to slice Ren's side causing him to fall over again. Ren lifted himself with his good arm and used his injured one to feel the fresh wound.

"Last chance kid. Give up or I will kill you to." Sho threatened.

Ren struggled to get up but Sho rolled his eyes and stabbed his blade through Ren's torso which caused Ren to cry out in pain. Sho smiled as he began to enjoy the feeling of the teen wriggling under his blade. Suddenly he was knocked back by a unseen attacker. He pulled the blade out of Ren on the way down. Ren suddenly found his vision growing darker as he heard the muffled sounds of various people running our of the hotel and a fight. Three people seemed to move to Ren as he watched a fireball erupt in Sho's direction.

The last thing Ren saw was a red ribbon falling to the ground in front of him.


	8. The Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Ren recovers, Sho makes his move.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we're almost there folks. 0_0
> 
> You know....I've never did my take on the original story....

The first thing Ren felt when he woke up was pain. A lot of pain. It made sense seeing as he was stabbed by a sword. The first thing he heard was buzzing. Like bugs flying around that reminded him of the summer days. The first thing he smelt was food. He couldn't focus long enough to find out what that food was, it smelt delicious though. The first thing he saw was white. He was looking at the roof. The first thing he tasted was blood. Dry blood.

He pieced together that he was in bed. Not his. He wasn't in LeBlanc. He also wasn't at the Inn. He was back at the Narukami house. He felt something move next to him and he looked to see Sumire asleep. She was sitting in a chair next to the bed but had her head resting on her arms. Ren then looked around the room to find Ann and Futaba both asleep on the couch. They were leaning on each other for support. How long had he been asleep? How many days did he loose?

He looked for his phone before feeling it under the soft blankets. He checked the date and found that it was 4 days later. Those 10 days to defeat Maruki had shorten to 6. Less than a week. Damn. It couldn't be helped he supposed. He looked down at his chest and found a faint scar from where he was impaled. Another addition to the various ones he already had.

He placed the phone back to it's original place and looked to Sumire. Her eyes were puffy and red. She had been crying. He also noticed that she didn't have her ribbon to tie her hair up. He gently ran his fingers through the beautiful red and frowned. He made her worry. Again. He wasn't a very good boyfriend was he? Maybe she would be better off with someone else. Maybe she would be happier. The day that she confessed her love to him was one of the happiest days of his life. How could he ever return that feeling?

He shook those bad thoughts from his head and laid back down.

"You really are something else."

Ren's eyes shot open onto find that he was now standing in a black space. No one was around. It was just him. He looked at himself only to find that he was dressed as Joker. He heard footsteps from the darkness only for Arsene to appear.

"Arsene? What's going on?"

Arsene chuckled.

"This has been going on for far too long. These thoughts that are not any good for you."

He walked around Ren and continued to talk.

"Your self doubt. You hate yourself for not trusting others. You believe they would be happier without you. You must know that this is not the case." Arsene explained.

Ren swallowed as Arsene reappeared but he wasn't the way Ren was used to seeing him. He was, him. Ren was staring at himself. The only difference was the yellow eyes.

"I am thou, thou art I. I am you, you are me. We are the same yet we are different. You weren't always like this. The day the world turned their backs to you was the day you lost all trust. What you didn't see was that there were many who did not turn their backs."

Suddenly they were surrounded by people. Ren noticed the other Phantoms. Ryuji, Ann, Morgana, Makoto, Yusuke, Haru, Futaba, Sumire. He realized that there were more. Sojiro, Tae, Sae, Iwai, Mishima, Sadayo, Chihaya, Ichiko, Shinya, Toranosuke. All of them. Everyone who he had helped throughout the year.

"You had assisted these people in their time of need and they returned the favors ten fold. You created bonds unlike any other. I am thou, you are not alone."

Ren felt something running down his cheek. Tears? Why was he crying? He felt a warm embrace as Arsene held him. He let himself break as more and more tears began to fall. He wasn't alone. He wasn't alone.  
\---------  
Ren opened his eyes once more to find himself back in the room. Ann and Futaba were gone but Sumire was sitting by the bed still looking at her phone. Occasionally she would quietly complain about how broken it was.

"Turn it off and turn it back on again." Ren suggested.

Sumire gave a short thanks and did just that. Ren watched as realization cross her mind and she looked up at him.

"Morning." Ren smirked.

Sumire dropped her phone onto the bed and covered her mouth as tears began to form. Ren sat up and allowed her to sit on the bed next to him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as she cried. He wasn't alone. Never again.  
\--------  
Ren soon found himself downstairs after he and Sumire caught up on the last few days. Turns out some of the Shadow Ops can summon their Persona in reality without an Evokor. He was magically healed and brought back to Yu's home to rest. This would explain why everyone was so surprised to see him walking into the living room. It was only Yu, Rise, Nanako, Ann, and Futaba so Ren didn't feel overwhelmed immediately. His face turned from a happy one to one of urget matter.

"Yu. I know what Sho wants."

Yu raised an eyebrow.

"What is that?" He asked.

"He wants you. He wants to kill you."

Suddenly there was a loud explosion in the distance. Everyone quickly rushed outside to see smoke rising into the sky. Sho. Yu and Rise rushed back inside while Ann sent a message to the group. Backup was on its way. Yu came back and handed everyone a holster with an Evokor in it.

"You'll need it. Mitsuru will have more for your friends when they come." Rise explained.

Ren quickly placed the gun on his belt which caused looks of concern. Ren noticed this and realized that he was still technically injured.

"I'm fine. We have to go." He assured.

Sumire and Yu nodded before they rushed down the way. The final battle was here.


	9. The Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Shadow Ops hurry to protect Inaba while Ren and Yu come face to face with Sho.

Once the group reached main street where the festival was still happening, they were shocked to find everyone still out and about. They were all watching the burning building both in horror and awe. Ren scanned the crowd to see if he could find anything linking this to Sho. When he went to turn around the pain shot through his body from his wound. He grabbed his side as he slowed his movements down. Luckily no one had noticed so he went back to looking around.

He spotted a flash of red hair among the bystanders. Ren kept his sight on Sho who simply smiled and turned away. Ren gritted his teeth and stepped towards his location only to be stopped by someone grabbing his wrist. He turned to see Yu staring at him.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I saw him. He's heading towards the main plaza." Ren explained.

He noticed everyone suddenly look at him in concern. His eyes fell onto Sumire who seemed scared.

"You were going to go at it alone?" Yu asked.

Ren was about to answer before he realized why they were worrying.

"Right. Sorry." Ren apologized.

Yu just nodded and turned back to the others. He told them to go to the inn and find the others while he and Ren investigated Sho. Ann and Futaba headed towards the inn while Sumire lingered long enough to pull Ren down for a quick kiss.

"Stay safe." She whispered.

She followed the others leaving Ren and Yu on their own.

"Alright. Let's go."

You nodded and the two headed towards the main plaza. Once they reached it they found it crowded with even more people. You had mentioned the town normally got packed around this time of year. What really surprised them was the fact that Sho was standing in the middle as everyone walked around him. He was waiting.

He saw the two of them and smirked. The two Wildcards watched as his eyes began to glow yellow and a messy puddle of black appeared next to him. The passerbys noticed this and stopped to watch what they must of thought was a show. The show was quickly over when a hand reached out followed by a very terrifying shadow. The crowd began to panic as they rushed to flee from the Plaza.

"Did he just summon a shadow?!" Ren asked.

Yu didn't answer as he began to rush over to Sho. Ren followed until they were a reasonable distance.

"About time." Sho smirked.

"What are you doing? Why are you doing all of this Sho?" Yu questioned.

"Why? It's because of you. You were the one who defeated me. You were the one who tried to get rid of me!" Sho cried.

Ren watched as Yu slowly came to realize something. Complete horror showed on his face as he stepped back.

"Minazuki." He whispered.

Ren raised an eyebrow as he turned back to Sho who was smiling even wider. He reached his arms out and began to laugh.

"Do you get it now? Do you understand me?! Sho is gone!"

Yu fell to his knees with a look of disbelief. Ren moved to help him but was instead blasted away by the shadow. Ren quickly recovered and pulled out the Evokor.

"Eiha!"

A blast of curse magic attacked the shadow destroying it. Sho just laughed and summoned more shadows. Ren moved to attack only to hear cries from behind. He turned to the horror of shadows appearing all over town. He turned back to Sho who just kept laughing.

"What the hell is going on? Yu! What do we do?!" Ren desperately asked.

Yu shook his head. His hands turned into fists as he looked up at Sho.

"This isn't Sho. It's Minazuki. We have to stop him. If we don't, the world is as good as dead. No matter what, we have to win."

Ren nodded and turned back to Sh-Minazuki. This wasn't Sho. Ren grabbed his Evokor and readied for the fight to began. Yu stood up and pulled out his own.

"Well then, let's get this started!" Minazuki declared.  
\--------  
As soon as the train came to a stop the Pantom Thieves knew something was happening. People fled from down the street in terror. They recognized the similarities from Christmas Eve. They rushed down onto the streets and looked to where they were running from.

"What is going on?" Haru asked.

Suddenly a black puddle appeared in front of them from which a shadow appeared. They stepped back as the evil entity began to cause mayhem.

"What the Eff?!" Ryuji exclaimed.

The shadow snapped it's attention towards the group and they suddenly realized how defenseless they were. Morgana moved to somehow protect the others as the shadow closed in.

"Rampage!"

Suddenly the shadow was defeated by a large spear like weapon. The group couldn't believe what they were seeing. A Persona, in the real world.

"Amazing." Akechi smirked.

The persona disappeared and two women ran towards them. One had short hair and wore a green sweater while the other wore a red coat. The short haired girl had a bag with her.

"You guys ok?" The short haired woman asked.

"Yes thank you. That was a Persona right?" Makoto asked.

The short haired girl smiled as she pull off the bag and opened it.

"You all must be the Phantom Thieves." She smiled.  
\----------  
"Kougaon!"

The bless attack destroyed the shadow while Sumire jumped away from another. Ann quickly released a fire attack which swiftly dealt with it. Sumire looked around and watched the others try to hold back the never ending horde. No matter what they did, more and more puddles appeared and the shadows kept coming. They weren't anything special but there was a lot which forced them all to push themselves to their limits.

"Sumire, Matsuri, there's a group of enemies forming to your right." Futaba reported.

Sumire nodded and followed the older woman to the spot. They had broken up into separate groups which had their own navigator. The plan was to hold off until the rest of the Thieves showed up. After that a small group of them would head to the plaza to help Yu and Ren while the others stayed back and protect the civilians. Sumire watched as Mitsuru summoned her Persona and elegantly destroyed the hostiles.

"Wow. We have so much to learn." She whispered to herself.

Mitsuru turned to tell her something just as another shadow appeared behind her. The shadow was about to attack before Sumire reached for her Evokor.

"Triple Shot!"

The shadow was shot down to nothingness which surprised Mitsuru and Sumire. They both looked over to see Haru smiling wickedly in excitement.

"This is truly better in the real world. Are you two ok?" She asked.

"Did, did your Persona just use a gun?" Mitsuru questioned.

"Indeed. Though they are nothing compared to Mako's nuclear attacks. They're so beautiful." Haru stated.

"Nuclear?" Mitsuru repeated.

Sumire looked over to see that the others had finally showed up meaning they can move along with the plan. Mitsuru talked into her earpiece and scanned the group.

"Alright. Sumire, blonde boy, Futaba, cat, and nuclear girl head to the plaza. The rest of you keep holding off the enemy. Don't let any of them break through." She ordered.

Sumire nodded and waited for the others to reach her before they rushed down the street.  
\-------  
Ren found himself flying through the air before he collided into a nearby pillar. He picked himself back up and watched as Minazuki and Yu went blow for blow with their weapons. Yu had picked up a sword from a nearby display while Minazuki had his own. Ren looked around for anything he could use for defense before his eyes fell on a butterfly knife. In any other case he would question it but right now he'll take whatever he can get. He grabbed it and flipped it open before jumping back into the fight.

Minazuki kicked Yu away before turning back to Ren and swinging his blade only for Ren to block it with the knife. He pushed back before shooting the Evokor and used a electric attack to create some distance between them. Yu slowly picked himself up and used his sword to hold himself steady.

"He's strong." Ren observed.

"All he knows is fighting. If we're going to win we need to do some crazy stuff." Yu explained.

Minazuki kept smiling as he dashed their way and swung another blade. Yu quickly moved to block Ren and lifted his own only for the two of them to be knocked back. Minazuki used this as a chance to attack again but Ren quickly summoned another Persona to block the attack. The two stood back up.

"OK. Time for some crazy stuff." Ren stated.

He rushed to Minazuki who was ready for another attack only to be met with a much larger blade. He was sent flying back but landed on his feet. Yu was standing there with a white figure behind him.

"Izanagi-no-Okami, Megidolaon!"

The Persona spun it's blade unleashing a powerful attack which blew Minazuki away into a nearby building. Ren smirked as Minazuki leaped out of the newly made hole only to be thrown back yet another attack.

"OK. Now I'm passed off." Minazuki declared as he picked himself back up.

He slowly walked towards them as he summoned two more shadows.

"The game ends now. Die!"

The shadows rushed to attack but Ren pointed the Evokor to his own head.

"Santanal, Megidolaon!"

The curse attack affected the two shadows but Minazuki dodged the attack. The two shadows were quickly defeated as Minazuki summoned two more. Ren quickly took care of them and watched as Minazuki became more furious.

"I should've killed you at the Inn." He stated.

"Not arguing with you there. I was weak then. Now? Now I'm stronger." 

"No. You're just like me. An outcast. A freak! Alone." Minazuki laughed.

Ren smiled as he shook his head.

"No. I have friends. I have my family. The Phantom Thieves will always have my back." Ren declared.

"Really? Then where are they?"

"We're right here!"

Ren turned around to find a group standing behind him. Ryuji, Makoto, Futaba, and Sumire. He felt something brush against his leg and looked down to find Morgana.

"Hey partner." He greeted.

Ren smiled as he looked to his friends. Futaba activated her Persona and flew over the battlefield as the others got ready for a fight.

"Won't you look at that. I'm not alone."

Yu stood by Ren and the two shared a mutual nod. Ren pointed his knife at Minazuki as he summoned a small army of Shadows.

"You're done for." He stated.

Minazuki let out a cry as the shadows rushed to attack. Ren mirrored the scream as the group rushed head first into the fight.

Things began to blur but Ren shook himself straight as his blade dug into a shadow and began the final battle.


	10. The Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren ends up in the Velvet Room where he meets a former guest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My damn hair is starting to curl again.

The plaza quickly became a massive battlefield as spells and attacks wrecked havoc destroying everything in sight. Ren and Yu kept up with Minazuki and his relentless attacks. The others focused on the ever growing waves of shadows which was made easier once the other users showed up. Ren had to smirk. Minazuki was focusing on them meaning they can attack him without worrying about the residents. Ren released another cursed attack with Yu backing him up. Minazuki rushed towards them, dodging their attack, and attacking them head first.

Yu summoned his Persona once again and attacked Minazuki who managed to block it. He then rushed to attack Yu who dodged his blade and kicked him away. Ren managed to peek over his shoulder and spotted Sumire being overwhelmed by shadows. He looked back to the older boy who nodded and Ren rushed to help his love.

"Satanal!" Ren called.

The Persona released a magnificent attack which vanquished the few shadows that were sneaking up on her. She quickly spun around in time to see Ren stab into another shadow.

"You ok?" He asked.

Sumire nodded with a smile. Ren turned back to continue his fight but stopped in his tracks before turning back around and picking up the smaller girl. He held her close to him and soon the two were connected at the lips. Ren set her back down and offered her a smile.

"After all of this, and after we beat Mizuki, I'm going to take you on the best date you've ever been on and I swear I will open up about anything you want." He promised.

Sumire realized what he was doing. Promising to survive and return. She just nodded in agreement before her lover rushed back to help the other wildcard. Ren managed to grab Aigis' attention. The robot quickly followed him back to Yu and the three wildcards were united against their foe.

"You will all die here!" He screamed.

Ren dodged his attack just in time for Aigis to summon Athena and released a brutal attack which threw Minazuki away into a nearby booth that had somehow survived the carnage. He quickly recovered and let out a battle cry before locking blades with Yu. Yu held him off the best he could before finding himself being pushed back by Minazuki's sheer strength. Ren quickly ran over and locked his blade against Minazuki's.

Ren managed to kick him away just far enough for Yu to slice his arm. Minazuki grunted but continued his attack. His raised his blade to slice down Yu which Ren noticed. Before Minazuki can succeed, Ren pushed Yu away moving himself in front of the blade. The cold metal slashed into his chest and blood was soon spilled onto the cracked pavement. Ren gagged as the warm liquid began to fill his lungs. Everything seemed to slow down as Ren found himself falling over. Everyone watched as his body collapsed on the floor lifeless.

"REN!"

Sumire dropped to her knees as the light faded from the boy's eyes. Yu found his heart racing and his head spinning. He gritted his teeth and let out a cry before turning back towards Minazuki and attacking with whatever he had left. Sumire rushed over to Ren's body as tears fell from her eyes. She fell to her knees and slowly reached out to her beau shaking her head in disbelief. Morgana rushed over to her and looked at the body of the boy who had saved the world just a month prior.

"Ren? Ren wake up. Wake up! Please!" He begged.

Soon all of the Phantoms rushed over to try and help Yu but they found Minazuki growing stronger. Blue flames began to surround him as his smile grew even more. The noticed Yu's face grow even more worried as he grew desperate in his attacks. They couldn't loose. They just couldn't.

Sumire stayed near the body of her lover as everything around her began to grow quiet and distant. He was gone. He was gone.  
\-------------  
"Well this is quite the predicament."

Ren looked up from his place on the old mattress. The hauntingly blue room was once again occupied by the old man with the long nose and the small yet elegant girl. Igor had his signature smile and his buldging eyes. Ren looked down at his chest to find that even his Joker outfit had a large cut through the fabric. He looked back at the velvet room and sighed.

"So game over?" He asked.

Igor didn't answer.

"Not quite."

Ren didn't recognize the voice. He looked around the room before spotting a new figure leaning against the wall behind Igor.

"What do you mean?" Ren asked.

The figure simply stood there as Igor took over.

"You have indeed died in the waking world but it will not stay that way." He stated.

"Indeed trickster. You will soon awaken in the real world and resume your fight against this foe. You see, you were never supposed to be involved in this conflict. You chose to do so out of your drive for justice." Lavenza explained.

Ren looked at her confused. Why was he being told this now? Suddenly the unknown figure moved from his place and walked over to the cell Ren was occupying. Ren got a good look at the person. Blue hair, school uniform, headphones. Who was this guy.

"You're the newest wildcard right? I used to be one to." The boy explained.

The boy looked back to the room which had suddenly changed into an elevator of shorts. Ren looked around amazed before the boy continued.

"I gave up my life in my endeavor to save humanity. A sacrifice I had to make for the sake of my friends. It wasn't an easy choice but in the end, it was the right one." He explained.

"Why are you telling me all this?" Rwn asked.

The boy just smiled.

"Because I want you to continue the legacy of what us wildcards do. We protect everyone no matter what. I've been watching you. I've seen the kind of person you are. You accepted that you need to accept others but you still hold that hatred against yourself."

Ren looked down at his chest as the boy placed his hand there. His clothes began to fix themselves and his wound was soon healed.

"You have to learn to let it go. If you don't, you will end up like me."

Ren suddenly realized there was yet another person in the room, wait, it was now a limousine. Igor and Lavenza were now gone. Sho took Igor's place at the vacant seat. He was smiling but it was different from before. It was sincere with no anger or hate behind it.

"Sho?"

"Yep. The good one not the, murder one. Sorry about everything. Truly." He apologized.

He stood up and began to pour himself a drink from the small bar. Ren watched him as he shook before sitting back down.

"It's all my fault. Everything. None of this should have happened." Sho apologized even more.

"Then why did it?" Ren suddenly asked.

The blue haired boy stopped him from jumping out his seat. He gave Ren a look as if to tell him to give Sho a chance. Ren settled back down as Sho sighed.

"It's because I gave up. I left Inaba all that time ago to try and find my place in the world. I couldn't. I tried so hard but I grew to believe that the world hated me. They didn't need me around. So I gave up. I let Minazuki take over after believing he was dead. I was wrong." Sho explained.

Ren found himself looking at him in pity. He knew what it meant to feel like not belonging. Maybe he wasn't as different from Sho than he thought. Ren leaned forward and looked down at his feet.

"I'm sorry to ask this but, I want to make a deal with you." Sho revealed.

Ren looked up to Sho, no. It wasn't Ren who was looking at this broken boy. It was Joker.

"If I give you the power to take me down, you have to stop me. Stop Minazuki." Sho asked.

The boy nodded in agreement.

"I can give you something that can further help you."

Joker smirked as he reached his hand out.

"Consider it a deal." He smiled.  
\----------  
Yu was thrown back across the plaza along with the others who were all just about done for. Minazuki had gotten even more powerful as the blue flames threatened to release the persona that would kill the world. Minazuki was laughing like the mad man he was as he looked down at the pile of defeated Persona users waited for the end.

"I told you. I warned you. You're all going to die here!" Minazuki taunted.

"Is that what I sound like when I tried to kill you guys?" Akechi asked.

The Phantoms all nodded while the others tried their best to stand but they couldn't find the strength. It was over. Minazuki had won. Or so they thought. Suddenly the attacker was hit with a spell from an unseen user.

"What the hell?" Ken asked.

Everyone looked around before spotting the familer blue flames raging like a monster. Standing in that flame was none other than Joker. He looked back at the others and smiled.

"You guys can sit this one out. I'll take it from here." He joked.

He turned back towards Minazuki who was furious.

"This isn't possible. I killed you!" He cried.

Joker just shrugged as he raised his Evokor to his head.

"Messiah."

The magnificent flame grew as a new Persona appeared. Joker raised his blade and pointed it towards Minazuki.

"Let's end this." He smirked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 chapters left.


	11. The Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren faces against Minazuki in the final battle.

Joker continued to smile as the flame surrounded him and Messiah. Minazuki looked upon the boy in shock. He was supposed to be dead. He was supposed to be defeated. How dare he stand there with that darn smirk? How dare he appear as if Minazuki did nothing to him? And what was with that stupid outfit?!

Joker flipped the sword in the air before catching it and dashing towards his opponent. Minazuki only barely blocked the attack before Joker used his momentum to flip away and shouted out an attack.

"God's Hand!"

The Persona flew back a bit before thrusting it's fist right towards Minazuki which sent him flying away causing Joker's smirk to grow. He landed and held the blade up in a defensive motion.  
\--------  
"I will grant you the power of my true self."

Joker raised an eyebrow at the blue haired boy's words.

"You mean I can use your Persona? Is that even possible?" Joker questioned.

The boy didn't answer right away. He instead sat next to Sho who was smiling.

"In truth, the Wildcards are able to connect with each other through time and space. We are all connected by the strings of fate." The blue haired boy explained.

He snatched the drink from Sho and took a sip.

"And besides, you won't be alone." He finished.  
\---------  
Joker waited until Minazuki recovered and rushed towards him with the intention of killing him. Suddenly he felt it. That surge of power that he felt back in December. That feeling that made him feel alive. Minazuki swung his blade at the trickster who simply knocked it away. Minazuki continued his assault but Joker was quick to block and dodge every single swing. Joker finally spun on his heel and kicked Minazuki's side causing him to stagger. Joker then swung his own blade onto Minazuki's arm. The sudden attack caught the man off guard allowing Joker to use the Evokor once again.

"Izanagi-no-Okami!"

Yu watched in amazement as his own Persona appeared over Joker. The white clad warrior lifted its blade and began to spin it.

"Myriad Truths!"

The brilliant light began to appear on the tips of the blades before a magnificent blinding light rained down from the heavens onto Minazuki causing the ground below him to begin to break under the sheer power of the attack. The light vanished just as quickly as it appeared leaving a very disoriented Minazuki in its wake. Before he could even recover, Joker immediately appeared before him and slammed the halt of the sword into the man's gut. He then quickly spun around and delivered a round kick to the back of his head.

Minazuki's flames began to flicker but Joker refused to let up.  
\----------  
"No matter what, you must have no mercy when fighting me. It will cost you your life." Sho warned.

Joker looked down at the sword he held. A katana that belonged to Sho. He looked back to the red head who was rubbing the back of his neck.

"You'll feel surges of power throughout the fight. That will be the power we are gifting you with. With it you'll be able to summon any Persona the Widcards before you could." The blue haired boy explained as he set the glass down on the desk.

They were back in the prison and the boy was now sitting at the desk while Sho had his back facing Joker.

"I wish you the best of luck. I'll be watching." Sho stated before walking away.  
\-----------  
"How can this be happening?!" Minazuki cried.

Joker continued to smile as Minazuki grew desperate. The other users were now able to hold themselves up enough to watch the battle take place. Joker dipped and dodged every hit, only stopping to counter. Joker pointed the Evokor to his head and pulled the trigger.

"Pallas Athena!"

Aigis watched as the Persona that was her true self appeared.

"Akasha Arts!"

Minazuki didn't even see the attack before the powerful force slammed into him. He felt the blood suddenly sprout through his open mouth as his ribs were crushed under the pressure of the Persona's attack. He was unable to catch himself as he flew in the air before rolling to a stop. When he pushed himself up he saw the teen standing there with a wicked look. His eyes. His damn eyes were staring right into his. The crimson red reminded Minazuki of blood. Rage. Nothing but pure rage. So why the hell was he smiling?!

He wore that damn long coat with that ugly vest and those faucking gloves! How the hell is even able to do all of this?!  
\----------  
Joker was left standing in the room across from the blue haired boy. The prison was his room. He was a prisoner of fate. Yet here he was, free. The boy began to chuckle and soon Joker joined. The two broke out into laughter as the noise echoed off the walls. They slowly stopped and the boy reached into his pocket.

"I have a favor to ask. You can call it payment for me lending you some power." He explained as he set a pin on the desk.

Joker reached for it and looked it over. It was round and had a circle in the center decided into four pieces, two white and two black. The outline of the circles was a bright red color. Gekkoukan it read.

"Please give that to the Shadow Ops. They'll know what it is." The boy explained.

Joker simply nodded. The deal was made. The power was his. The boy stood up and walked around the desk eventually stopping next to Joker. As the two looked separate ways, they smiled.

"Go finish this." The boy ordered.

He pulled his headphones in and walked away. Vanishing from the room. Joker was the only one left now. He looked down at the pin before clenching it in his hands. Yet another bond to help him succeed. Yet another person who had his back.

"Alright then."  
\-----------  
Minazuki fell to his knee with only his blade to kept him up enough to glare at the teen. Joker simply smiled as he pointed the Evokor to his head. Minazuki watched as he pulled the trigger and summoned the demon lord from before.

Joker let the device go before pointing the blade towards Minazuki. No. This wasn't Joker. This was Ren. Ren was the one with the power. He was done hiding behind this mask. He was done running away. He was done hating himself. His smile faded and was replaced with a dedicated grin.

"This is over, Sho." He whispered.

The Persona aimed its gun at the man who refused to be taken down. Minazuki let out one final cry before the trigger was pulled.

No one could see what happened next. Their vision was clouded by a thick cloud of dust, dirt, and what remained of the pavement. Once it cleared they spotted the leader of the Phantom Thieves standing over the now defeated foe. The blade was now gone as was his Joker attire. The boy standing there was finally Ren.

Ren looked down at Sho and smiled. He kept his end of the deal just as Sho did. Dizziness slowly made it increasingly difficult to stay standing. Guess he over did it. He did use some powerful Persona after all. He looked over to his friends and allies, smiling at the sight of their safety. Finally he allowed himself to collapse.  
\----------  
When Ren woke up he found himself back at the Narukami household. His whole body felt just a bit sore which surprised him. After what had just happened, he figured it would hurt a lot more. He sat up from the bed and looked around the room to find it empty with him being the only living thing in sight. Voices from below caught his attention. He moved to get out of bed but felt something stab into his thigh. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the pin the boy had gave him. 

"I guess I should keep up with my other deal." He smiled to himself.

He placed the pin back into his pocket and headed downstairs. It was truly a sight to behold as every user hung around in the living room space. It was almost bizarre that everyone had managed to somehow find a place among the chaos. Makoto had taken to talking to Mitsuru and Yukari about something he couldn't even begin to guess. His eyes sifted to Ryuji who was chatting it up with Junpei and Yusuke who was framing the entire thing. Next to them was Futaba who was taking to Ken, Nanako, and Chie about some game they were excited for. Ren also noticed that Yosuke was with them, and his arm was dropped around Chile's shoulder. Yukiko, Ann, Rise, and Akihko where exchanging notes on self care, weird for Ren to see, as Morgana hung close. Teddie was chatting up a storm with Haru and Aigis who seemed just happy to be included. Akechi hung in the corner on his own, at least until Ren noticed Koromaru sitting by him. Everyone seemed so engulfed in their own world. This made Ren smile wider than he had all year.

"Morning sleeping beauty."

Ren turned to his left towards the kitchen and spotted Yu leaning against the wall looking at him. This caught everyone's attention.

"Ren?"

Ren looked behind Yu to see Sumire standing there, wearing a cute pink apron, with her hands over her mouth. Ren finally stepped onto the first floor and nodded. He was immediately met with a tight, and warm, embrace from the smaller girl. Ren happily returned the gesture. Suddenly he felt so light. He felt whole. He felt happy. Happy enough to cry. So he did.

He cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 chapter left.


	12. Ren Amamiya

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ren finally reaches the end of his journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end. Over 2k reads. Wow. I can't express how much this means to have you all make it this far with me and the fact that I was able to finish this story the way I wanted.
> 
> Seriously, thank you to everyone who stayed until the end.

The attic never felt so big. It never felt so much like home. As he laid in the bed with some old movie playing on the TV, he felt at ease. What movie was playing? He couldn't tell you. He was just too focused on the girl currently wrapped in his arms. Sumire had insisted that she take a break from practice after they defeated Mazuki and they had managed to free Ren from prison. Ren was just as shocked as everyone when Akechi up and vanished now that the false reality was gone.  
\-----------  
"As much as we would love to stay a bit longer, we actually have to go back to Tokyo to deal with our own threat." Makoto explained to everyone.

Currently everyone was in the parking lot of the train station to say goodbye to the Phantoms. It was almost beautiful if it weren't for the town still trying to rebuild after the mysterious storm that had attacked it. Or so the reports state. Amazing what power and influence can do.

"After everything is said and done you can come back." Rise suggested.

"I'll be sure that the Inn has spare rooms." Yukiko offered.

Everyone turned to Ren as if to wait for his answer. He simply nodded which seemed to satisfy everyone enough for them to return to their goodbyes. Ren slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out the pin. He slowly flipped it between his fingers before looking to the Shadow Operatives.

"Excuse me."

Once again all eyes were on him. He slowly moved towards the Shadow Operatives before holding out his hand to Aigis. She awkwardly moved her hand out under his allowing him to drop the pin into her hand. The girl's eyes grew wide at the item and soon all of the Shadow Operatives peeked over her shoulder to see what she was holding.

"Where did you get that?" Akihiko asked.

Ren placed his hands back into his pocket and smiled.

"A friend gave it to me. He said you all would know what it means." Ren explained.

He was surprised to find them all with tears in their eyes.

"You talked to him? He's ok." Junpei smiled.

Mitsuru turned to the younger boy and nodded as a thanks. Ren simply nodded back and turned away to say his goodbyes to Yu and Rise. The two stood there like a pair of proud parents. Ren smiled and reached his hand out.

"Guess this is goodbye for now."

Ren was caught off guard when Yu instead pulled him into a hug. Ren slowly gathered his senses and hugged the older boy back. They eventually let go and Yu placed a hand on Ren's shoulder.

"You did good kid. Couldn't be prouder." He smiled.

Ren nodded and was greeted with another hug but from Rise. Ren laughed awkwardly and hugged the short girl. Once she let go of him he was attacked by another hug. Ren looked down and saw that it was Nanako. Ren smiled before he looked up and noticed a very jealous Sumire standing there with her arms crossed pretending to be ok. Luckily Nanako let go of him and looked up.

"Good luck. Stay safe please. And come back to visit us!" She demanded.

"Of course." Ren promised.

And just like that, the boarded the train. Ren looked out the window one last time to see everyone waving at them. Ren waved back with the promise to come back and visit after everything was said and done. Whenever that may be.  
\----------  
Ren sighed as he gently tightened his grip on Sumire who let out a surprised noise which earned a smile. She moved so that she could see him only to be greeted with a kiss. She gladly returned it with a smile. Once Ren pulled away he buried his face in her hair.

"I like this." He whispered.

He decided that he could be selfish. He earned it after all the crap that has happened over the last few months. Especially after today.  
\----------  
Ren entered the Cafe to find everyone there. They greeted him with just as much excitement as he expected. Sojiro decided to head out to buy some snacks for them all leaving him alone with his friends. The air wasn't tense for anyone besides him since he knew what was about to happen. It was time.

"Can I say something?"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and were now looking at the boy who was sitting next to Sumire in the booth. He took a deep breath and let it out. 

"I'm sorry. For everything. From not trusting you to dragging you all into that fight in Inaba. I'm sorry for everything." He apologized.

No one said anything. They knew that they didn't have to.

"From the start I was scared to let anyone into my life. I was screwed over so many times that I was afraid that you would only hurt me. It was stupid. You all were there for me through everything. You all helped me in so many ways that I didn't even realize."

Ryuji shook his head.

"Ws don't blame you dude. If anything I should apologize to you man. I said some messed up things to you. You're our friend but I was an ashore to you when you needed us." He apologized.

Morgana snickered.

"That actually sounded like a responsible thing to say." He joked.

"Oh shut up cat!" The blonde boy yelled.

Ren watched the two bicker before mama Makoto stepped in to break them up.

"Guys, really? Ren is trying to talk to us." She scolded.

Ryuji and Morgana apologized and everyone went back to the fluffy haired boy. He was just smiling. Times like these were when he felt alive. It took so long to realize that. These people were his family. He knew this now.

"Thank you. So much. For everything." He said lowering his head so no one could see his tears.  
\-----------  
Ren pulled away from his girlfriend to be able to look at her in the eyes. He smiled at her and planted another kiss on her forehead before pulling her close.

"So I'm guessing you're staying the night?" Ren asked.

Sumire only hummed in response. Ren had made a mental promise to text Yu tomorrow and find out when they can visit again before he left. Everyone would be apart for some time afterwards anyway.

"Thank you for staying by my side." He whispered.

Sumire just laughed against his skin.

"Right back at you, dear." She smiled.

Ren finally let himself close his eyes as the sounds of the TV filled the room. He was finally free. He was finally ok.

He was Ren Amamiya

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End


End file.
